How to Keep Dogs Cool in The Summer
Summer will be here soon enough, and it’s a good time to go over some ways to help keep your dog cool during the summer months.
Dogs’ bodies have different ways to produce sweat and release heat than humans’ bodies, so they also have unique needs when it comes to helping them cool off!
Dogs have two kinds of sweat glands, merocrine and apocrine sweat glands. Merocrine sweat glands are mostly found in a dog’s paws and can help them to cool off, while apocrine sweat glands are located throughout a dog’s body but do not help dogs cool off—rather, they help them to communicate with other dogs through pheromones.
The most effective methods that dogs innately have to help them cool off are panting and vasodilation. Panting involves rapid inhalation and exhalation, which leads to moisture in the airway evaporating, therefore allowing your dog to feel a little cooler. Vasodilation occurs when your dog’s blood vessels expand and warm blood moves closer to the body surface where it can more easily cool off. This occurs mostly in the face and ears, causing them to sometimes appear red when a dog is hot.
Heatstroke can occur in dogs when they overheat, and the condition can be fatal if not quickly treated. Most often, heatstroke happens when dogs are outside for too long in the heat, when they exercise in hot weather, and when they are left inside of hot vehicles.
There are several signs of heatstroke in dogs, including excessive panting, red gums, incoordination, rapid heart rate, thick saliva, excessive drooling, vomiting, seizures and unconsciousness. If you ever believe your dog could be suffering from heatstroke, please get them to the vet as fast as possible and provide them with cold water to drink.
We can help our dogs stay cool in the summer heat by keeping them in the shade when possible, providing them with cool water to drink, letting them exercise when it’s cooler in the morning or evening, bringing them inside to an air conditioned environment when it’s hot out, and allowing them to play in the water to cool off!
Another option that often comes to mind for dog owners is getting your dog’s hair shaved down for the summer months to keep them cool. However, it is important to understand that this is only helpful for certain dog breeds. Dogs with double coats actually need their fur in warm weather in order to stay cool because their fur acts to deter the transfer of external heat to their body. Some examples of dogs with double coats include German Shepherds, Huskies, and Golden Retrievers. Other dogs that have single coats, such as Yorkies, Shih Tzus, and Poodles can benefit from a summer shave-down.